Chronicle of Geoffrey le Baker of Swinbroke
Baker was a secular clerk from Swinbroke, now Swinbrook, an Oxfordshire village two miles east of Burford. His Chronicle describes the events of the period 1303-1356: Gaveston, Bannockburn, Boroughbridge, the murder of King Edward II, the Scottish Wars, Sluys, Crécy, the Black Death, Winchelsea and Poitiers. To quote Herbert Bruce 'it possesses a vigorous and characteristic style, and its value for particular events between 1303 and 1356 has been recognised by its editor and by subsequent writers'. The book provides remarkable detail about the events it describes. Baker's text has been augmented with hundreds of notes, including extracts from other contemporary chronicles, such as the Annales Londonienses, Annales Paulini, Murimuth, Lanercost, Avesbury, Guisborough and Froissart to enrich the reader's understanding. The translation takes as its source the 'Chronicon Galfridi le Baker de Swynebroke' published in 1889, edited by Edward Maunde Thompson.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
Switzerland is in Europe.
On 30th September 1434 Bishop John Langdon died at Basel.
On 30th October 1741 Angelica Kauffmann was born in Chur Graubünden.
In October 1445 Agnes Savoy Duchess Longueville was born to Louis Savoy I Count Savoy [aged 32] and Anne Cyprus Countess Savoy [aged 27] at Chambéry. She married in or before 1480 her third cousin once removed François Valois II Duke Longueville, son of François Valois Duke Longueville and Agnès de Savoy Duchess Longueville.
On 19th August 1454 François Savoy was born to Louis Savoy I Count Savoy [aged 41] and Anne Cyprus Countess Savoy [aged 35] at Chambéry.
On 8th July 1528 Emmanuel Philibert Duke of Savoy was born to Charles 3rd Duke Savoy [aged 41] and Beatrice Aviz Duchess Savoy [aged 23] at Chambéry. He married 1559 his half first cousin once removed Margaret Valois Duchess Berry and Savoy, daughter of King Francis I of France and Claude Valois Orléans Queen Consort France, and had issue.
On 26th September 1791 William Craven 6th Baron Craven [aged 53] died at Lausanne, Switzerland. His son William [aged 20] succeeded 7th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire. His son William succeeded 8th Baron Craven of Hamstead Marshall in Berkshire.
On 13th July 1967 Nicholas Hohenzollern Sigmaringen [aged 63] and Thereza Lisboa Figueira Mello were married at Lausanne, Switzerland.
On 3rd November 1846 Elizabeth Thompson Lady Butler was born to Thomas James Thompson [aged 34] and Christiana Weller [aged 21] at the Villa Claremont, Lausanne. She married 11th June 1877 Lieutenant-General William Francis Butler.
In November 1875 William Holman Hunt [aged 48] and Marion Edith Waugh [aged 28] were married at Neuchâtel, Switzerland since marrying your late wife's sister was illegal in England - see 1835 Marriage Act. She his first wife's younger sister contrary to English Law; an example of Married to Two Siblings. His brother-in-law Thomas Woolner [aged 49] considered the marriage immoral; they never spoke again.
On 29th July 1983 David Niven [aged 73] died at his chalet at Château-d'Oex, District de la Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut.
The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy
The Gesta Normannorum Ducum [The Deeds of the Dukes of Normandy] is a landmark medieval chronicle tracing the rise and fall of the Norman dynasty from its early roots through the pivotal events surrounding the Norman Conquest of England. Originally penned in Latin by the monk William of Jumièges shortly before 1060 and later expanded at the behest of William the Conqueror, the work chronicles the deeds, politics, battles, and leadership of the Norman dukes, especially William’s own claim to the English throne. The narrative combines earlier historical sources with firsthand information and oral testimony to present an authoritative account of Normandy’s transformation from a Viking settlement into one of medieval Europe’s most powerful realms. William’s history emphasizes the legitimacy, military prowess, and governance of the Norman line, framing their expansion, including the conquest of England, as both divinely sanctioned and noble in purpose. Later chroniclers such as Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Torigni continued the history, extending the coverage into the 12th century, providing broader context on ducal rule and its impact. Today this classic work remains a foundational source for understanding Norman identity, medieval statesmanship, and the historical forces that reshaped England and Western Europe between 800AD and 1100AD.
Available at Amazon in eBook and Paperback format.
On 2nd August 1983 David Niven [deceased] was buried in a private ceremony at a Church of St Peter, Château-d'Oex. Yehudi Menuhin and seven of his students played the violin. Prince Rainier of Monaco comforted the British actor's widow Hjördis Paulina Genberg [aged 63]. Niven's Scottish pastor friend Arnot Morrison conducted the funeral service. The British ambassador to Switzerland, John Powell-Jones, represented the British government at the funeral.
In 1890 Sigmund Neumann 1st Baronet [aged 32] and Anna Allegra Hakim Lady Neumann [aged 26] were married at Vevey, Switzerland.
On 7th February 1741 Henry Fuseli was born at Zurich, Switzerland.
